BXBX NOVEL Chapter 66 Demonstration Of Power
"Forgive me for my ignorant question in advance." General Michaels began hesitantly, "But you're seeking an official treaty between governments?"
"It seems you understand correctly." Kaze replied boldly, "As a territory with the power exceeding Malta, I seek an alliance between our forces."
Agent Ryker and the general jerked reflexively, forcefully holding back a reflex to scoff.
"That's a bold statement, Mr. Lexicon." General Michaels said dryly.
The emperor gave the men a mocking smile and then turned his head toward Meridian City. While he was staring at a wall, his message was loud and clear.
"Tell me, gentlemen." Kaze said with a caustic chuckle, "How will you attack me when your troops can't contain your own cities?
Or will you sacrifice countless soldiers and resources attacking a non-hostile settlement while your cities burn?"
Everyone in the room froze at the emperor's ruthless words.
The emperor turned back to the men with a venom-laced smile. "You're here for aid to solve that problem, yes?"
General Michaels closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He had to process the emperor's words as he needed to face the grim reality of the situation.
However, something was weighing on his mind.
"Mr. Lexicon, when you say alliance, are you insinuating that you will aid the government beyond a non-aggression pact?" The general asked.
"I'm glad that we're getting somewhere." Kaze said in a serious tone.
"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying, gentlemen. Non-aggression pacts are meaningless pieces of paper with empty words.
There must be benefits to keeping each other alive to stave off hostilities.
I'm certain you understand the benefits of having an ally of my variety, yes?"
General Michaels dry swallowed. He was indeed aware of such benefits but didn't imagine the emperor would offer a long-term agreement. "What do you propose?"
The emperor laced his fingers together and put his elbows on the table.
"As discussed, I will provide a cultivation technique for easy learning." Kaze explained.
"I will also provide a technique that can be used to calm the rage in their hearts, allowing citizens to think for a time while they learn it.
However, I will not provide you with offensive techniques that can harm me until you prove your willingness to be my partner."
"How do we do that?" The general asked, understanding the obvious implication.
"As already discussed, I propose you turn Immortal Skye into a fully reinforced military base.
However, I ask you to treat it like a country, not an autonomous zone, and to spare no expense or advanced technology when you build it.
My people need to be able to protect themselves while I'm away, periodically solving your problems.
I will not leave this base if it's vulnerable to a military attack."
The general's heart skipped a beat for a moment. Surprisingly, his asks were not too demanding, as they got the same demand; it was just more extreme.
However, the rewards were also greater, so it was worth it.
"What problems will you solve?" He asked.
"Well, for example, we have a joint interest in revenge toward the [sleeper] that killed Evalyn's mother, yes?" Kaze asked, "I assure you that you cannot kill such people, but I can."
The room fell silent for a few seconds.
"What… is a sleeper?" General Michaels asked, "I'm assuming you're one of them?"
"Correct." The emperor replied, "We're children that grew up in the Sky Plane, where those cultivators are from.
The cultivators sent us to Earth to infiltrate it in preparation for June 2nd, 2032."
Everyone was stunned-silent by the admission.
"That explains how I, the weak, geeky mortal became so strong out of the blue, yes?" Kaze asked.
"Why I have so many techniques and built this faction immediately once my limiter was shut off and I regained all of my memories?"
Everyone held their breath aside from Evalyn, the only person who knew the truth.
"You're…." General Michaels tried to say [serious] as a rhetorical question but stopped himself to prevent wasting the man's time. Kaze saw this and continued.
"Most importantly, it explains why my patronage is far more valuable than what you can offer and why attacking me is courting death." The emperor declared.
No one could speak after his words. His declarations were suffocating.
"I assure you, gentlemen. I'll survive a nuclear bomb, and then come to kill every single person in the Malta military." Kaze said coldly.
"However, you don't have time to make nuclear decision. You'll all be dead in the next 30 days if you don't stop wasting my time with foolish threats and games."
"Nuclear weapons…." General Michaels said in disbelief.
Kaze picked up a paperweight and threw it at General Michaels faster than anyone, but Evalyn could comprehend.
The man's eyes flashed before his eyes as he got a split-second snapshot of the paperweight in front of his face.
BOOOOOM!
Before it hit his face, the paperweight shot upward from below the ground and smashed into the table, causing it to explode.
Everyone reflexively covered their faces and closed their eyes, listening to the table falling around them. Yet—
No shrapnel hit them.
—they opened their eyes and found barriers of grey and black warping space around them.
Everyone in the room checked their bodies in shock and then looked at the water spout of wood coming out of the floor like a tapped oil vein.
Whenever wood flew into the spatial rift, it came out from the floor in an endless cycle.
"W-What was that?" General Michaels asked in shock.
"That, gentlemen, is a spatial cultivation technique. Surely you don't think thousands of people from a higher plane casually waltzed into Earth without spaceships, do you?" Kaze smiled.
"Every sleeper has this technique, as it's a prerequisite to getting here.
Moreover, the distance between Earth and the Skye Plane is vast.
You're delusional if you don't think I'll be able to stroll into your military bases and destroy them without warning—no matter where they are on Earth."
An icy chill crawled down everyone's spine. Everyone looked at Kaze in a completely different light.
While most of what he said was reasonably true [with enough Qi], he was lying about how the cultivators got to earth.
Cultivators had to wait until they got to the Transcendent Plane to use warp gates—and slaughter an entire legacy family to get one.
After over five millennia, the emperor still didn't know how the portal to earth was created. However, he did know one thing—a powerful immortal he never found did it.
General Michaels tried to calm his beating heart. "Everyone now respects you enough not to waste resources attacking you.
Since we need your techniques and aren't in a position to negotiate, let's hear your concrete ask."
"Smart man." Kaze smiled, "I want the military to send paid military members to turn Immortal Skye into a military base no later next ten days.
After the official decree and rules for interacting with Immortal Skye go out and a top classification about its location is established, I'll give you the simple cultivation technique and calming skill.
Since time's running short, I suggest you take this life-saving offer and summon all your resources to make my inconsequential demands a reality.
We legally bought every mansion here and built the faction in two weeks without military resources, so I don't want to hear bureaucratic excuses.
This offer ends the second you walk out that door."
General Michaels and Agent Ryker were stunned.
General Michaels swallowed nervously. He was wise enough not to complain about the timeline or seek concessions.
"I'll do it." He affirmed, "I can send military personnel by tomorrow, and we'll continue building until the government signs off on your request.
That way, we don't waste your time if political trouble arises."
Kaze locked eyes with the man again. "Good. Treaty or not, expect me to meet any agreement violation with swift and horrifying retaliation.
I assure you, gentlemen, it will make that third-rate sleeper's demonstration look like a poorly written tragedy. So don't test me."
Everyone froze, and cold sweat moved down their shoulder blades.
"Y-Yes, Mr. Lexicon." General Michaels said, "Is there anything else?"
Kaze leaned back in his chair and panned everyone's face in the room.
"No. However, be aware that I value my time more than anything else." He said coolly.
"Act with haste, and I shall give you two sky-grade cultivation techniques.
Bring your most competent soldiers, like these ones, and I'll teach them cultivation.
I reward those that help me and strike those that defy me without mercy.
I suggest you do the former and reap the rewards, as the latter is fruitless and suicidal."
General Michaels and Agent Ryker dry swallowed alongside the troops in the room.
"It seems you understand." Kaze said while standing, "Now scurry off and uphold your end of the agreement. Don't waste my time with non-practical matters if you want the treaty."
The two men stood up with beating hearts, hesitantly trying to figure out whether to shake the man's head.
However, after two seconds of awkward silence, the emperor turned to Daniel. "Please show our [guests] out."
"Yes, sir." Daniel said, leading the two men out of the door unceremoniously.